THE TURF

Evening Star, Issue 17927, 24 March 1922, Page 8

THE TURF

Gossip i;y Old Identity Mr Alf Woods is resigning as starter, but will go on till the end of the season with the Dunedin Jockey Club and some other clubs. It is regrettable that he should be retiring. At his host, when physically well, he is a. good starter, and I am told that ho is fast regaining the strum;bli thH he lost when troubled with appendicitis. Of his personal worth there in no nuestioD,' lie hns no dealings with any section of the racing world, and is absolutely straight. Pluto, Vcsuucci, Palestrina, Foo Chow, Winning Hit. and Clean Sweep arc amongst the horses that arc doing all right at Riccarton.

Warlove lias split a hoof. Whipping Boy is on the easy list as the result of wicnching a. fetlock. Amythas is not doing the work that his admirers would like, and is hardly likelv to be at his best at Easter.

Gloaming is not entered for the Awapnni Gold Cup. Winning Hit and Kick Dff may.bo hard to beat in that race.

Biplane’s valedictory notice in the Sydney ‘Sportsman’ reads: “Biplane has broken down. He crashed on Saturday List at Caulfield, and is unlikely to race again. Ho will ho a weight off Trainer Seullv’s mind and off his owner’s hank account.”

When the barrier went up at the start of the Autumn Handicap at Masterton, Kiigour caught the tapes and turned round, interfering seriously with "Vagabond and Snub.

Reported that Songbird is likely to run in the Thompson Handicap at Wellington. “Sir Lancelot” writes; Anomaly, who won a mile and a-qnarter handicap at Wooclville in December, is handicapped as a non-stavcv at Riccarton. He has 9.1 in the Great Easter, and a stone less in the Great .Autumn. Carbine’s son Pistol, who must be well over twenty years old, had a great day at a recent meeting at Port Adelaide, his stock winning four of the eight events on the card. The events were particularly varied, being the principal handicap, a trial stakes, a hurdle race, and tho two-ycar-old event. If his team does well during the winter, writes “ Glencoe,'’ F. Davis, who is no stranger to Sydney, will probably make another trip across, and race his foam at some of tho suburban meetings, so as to get them as f orward as possible for the big spring fixture at Randwick. Tho, sheet-anchors of the team will be Highland and Fingoland, both of whom are in the A.J.C. Derhv; but, if he improves as is expected, Mr Eliot Davis’s black colt Lucius will also accompany the team, while Killashandra may go as well, and if a suitable price is offered the diminutive son of Kilbrouey will bo sold.

It is reported from England that F. Wootton commenced riding again, .after his accident, at the end of January. Reports from tho north state that The Hawk is not now under offer to the buyer in Australia.

It is said that tho .American racehorse Exterminator (M’Gec—Fair Empress) is to he sent to England this year to compete in long-distance races. Exterminator, who holds the American two-milo record, has, it is claimed, won more prize-money than anv other gelding in the world. Unusually gone! luck attended the visit of one Waimate resident and his family to tbo races (writes the ‘Press’ W a ™»t-p. correspondent). His' children, during the course of the day. picked up a goodly collection of discarded totalisator tickets, which they took home to play with. When looked at, it was found that several of the tickets had been issued on Castellan, the horse which was placed second in the Waimate Cup only after Palestrina had been disqualified as the result of an inquiry. Immediately after the race many of the supporters of Castellan, who finished third, immediately discarded their tickets, which in this unusual manner passed into the hands of one who, if the report is correct, collected £25 on them. The Australian three-year-old filly Furious (bv The Welkin—Dauaide) has won £17,317 in stakes, as , a result of nine finds, three seconds, three thirds, and four times unplaced. “Sir Lancelot” writes: J. W. Lowe is at present undecided whether Insurrection will run in the Thompson Handicap or bo reserved for the Gold Cup, in which ho will have a. chance, if Gloaming docs not run, A. Oliver will have tho mount. The stud foe of tho crack American horse Man-o’-War for the present season is 2.500 dollars —nr in English money in the vicinity of sCosavs at which figure his list for the term was booked up. _ The son of Fair Play is to be mated with ten mares other than those belonging to his

owner. With the object of preventing fraud at the Napier Park races last week, all totalisator tickets presenter] for payment were subjected to the acid test. Tho scheme worked well; all tickets presented responded by turning pink under tho influence of tho acid.

Mr L. K. S. Mackinnon, chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, was the purchaser of Thespian’s yearling brother, who realised l,6€ogs at Air G. M. Currie s sale last month.

The Prince of Wales promises to bo ns keen a racing man as the late King Edward, for E, Harrison, a South African jockey at present riding in India, wrote as follows to a Durban sporting writer - “ H.E.H. the Prince of Wales arrived' on the racecourse on the morning of January 27, and rode several horses in their work. When hacking along he rode with the usual hunting seat; but when he got up to ride work ho pulled his leathers up three or four holes, and rode in the Australian stylo, well forward, but without anything overdone in tho way of crouching. He appears to have nice ‘ hands,’ and does not pull a horse about, and they quickly settle down with him.”